Boy, Interrupted
by WaffleDogOfficial
Summary: [Canon-Divergent AU] "So, when are you going to tell Naruto?" Sakura asks. "Tell Naruto what?" Sasuke's sense of foreboding intensifies. She rolls her eyes. "That you like him, of course!"


**Written for r/fanfiction's August writing challenge: Random Trope. I got "Race Against the Clock" and decided to write Sasuke trying desperately to confess his feelings for Naruto. The story takes place in a canon-divergent AU where Sasuke never left Konoha. **

**O-O-O-O-O**

"What time are you leaving, loser?" Sasuke asks, turning his gaze to look at Naruto as he digs into the ramen.

"Ero-sennin said we're leaving at 8:30," Naruto answers after he finishes slurping his noodles. "He's not like Kakashi-sensei, so I know he won't be late!"

"Maa, Naruto," Kakashi complains from the stool next to Naruto. "You make me sound so irresponsible."

Naruto sticks his tongue out at their teacher before he continuing to eat.

"I see," Sasuke responds, fidgeting with his chopsticks.

He does the math in his head, realizing he has slightly under twenty hours to spend with Naruto before the blond leaves for his training trip. His heart sinks. While training for the chuunin exam finals, he had barely gotten any time to spend with him and, during the search for Tsunade, Naruto had been trying to master the Rasengan. They had shared meals and a room together, sure, but Naruto's attention had been elsewhere.

He wants to spend time with Naruto, as they used to do in the past, sparring and reveling in each other's company. Sometimes, Sasuke had been so tired after their spars that he had gone to Naruto's home instead of his own and collapsed next to Naruto on the bed.

He had loved waking up with the idiot next to him and for the longest time, he hadn't known why. Now that he understands his feelings, he wishes he had savored those moments more. He won't see Naruto for years and although he had promised to write, Sasuke doesn't know how often that will be.

Sasuke tries not to break his chopsticks in frustration.

"We'll be at the gates to say goodbye," Sakura says from Sasuke's side and digs her elbow into his ribs. "Won't we, Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke tries not to flinch but fails. He glares at Sakura before turning towards Naruto and nodding. "Yeah, sure... whatever."

"At least sound more excited about it," Naruto says, rolling his eyes. "I will be away for a while, ya know."

Sasuke knows- that was the heart of the problem.

"Well, I hope you'll spend your time learning. Jiraiya-sama has a lot to teach," Kakashi says from Naruto's other side.

Naruto beams up at them. "I will do my very best and when I come back, I'm gonna be stronger than you can imagine!"

"Hn," Sasuke grunts. "I'll believe it when I see it, loser."

Naruto growls and punches him on the arm. It's barely a punch- compared to Sakura's previous attack, he barely feels it. "You'll see, jerk! Just wait until I come back!"

"Now, boys, I'm sure both of you will be a lot stronger when you meet again," Kakashi says placatingly.

"Hn," Sasuke grunts and concentrates on his bowl of ramen.

As he eats, he listens to Naruto chatting animatedly about the cool things he'll do once he comes back and what he wants to learn. Sasuke listens intently, although he tries to look disinterested. They eat slowly, enjoying the conversation, although Naruto manages to eat three bowls by the time Sasuke finishes his first.

"Well, I'm stuffed!" Naruto sighs and places some money on top of the counter. "I'm gonna go say goodbye to Hinata and the others before I leave. See ya!"

With those parting words, Naruto leaves, running through the streets as if he hadn't just eaten three large bowls of ramen. Sasuke sighs before placing his own money on the counter. He turns to leave, waving goodbye lazily to Sakura and Kakashi.

Before he can head back to his apartment, however, Sakura grabs onto the back of his shirt. Startled, he turns around to stare at her, meeting her eyes with trepidation. She smiles at him, but it's one of the smiles that tells Sasuke she has a plan. He feels a strong sense of foreboding in the pit of his stomach.

"You're not running away so easily, Sasuke," she says. "There's something you need to do before Naruto leaves tomorrow."

"What?" Sasuke asks, trying to not look nervous. He turns to Kakashi for help, but their teacher has already disappeared. _Typical_.

With another of her wicked smiles, Sakura grabs onto his arm and drags him into an alley. She lets go of his hand and turns to stare at him. Sasuke's first instinct is to run away, but the easiest way to deal with a determined Sakura is to go along with her plans. Reluctantly, he waits to see what she will say.

"What?" Sasuke asks again.

"So, when are you going to tell Naruto?" she asks.

"Tell Naruto what?" Sasuke's sense of foreboding intensifies.

Sakura rolls her eyes. "That you have a crush on him, of course!"

"What?!" Sasuke steps back in shock. "I don't... I never... How do you... What?! I can't believe you'd even think-! I-I'm... Why would I-?

Sakura stops his rambling with a raised eyebrow and Sasuke is forced to accept defeat. Sakura is too smart to be deceived.

"How do you know I like him?" Sasuke asks with a long sigh.

Sakura snorts. "It's so obvious, Sasuke! You always want to spend time with him. You always stay the night at his apartment, even when your place is closer. You smile at him more often than anyone else, and that's saying something because you never smile! You buy him more ramen than even Iruka-sensei does. You get jealous whenever he talks with Gaara... Do I need to go on?"

"What? But... who else knows?" Sasuke asks desperately.

He can tell that Sakura is making a conscious effort to not slap her forehead in exasperation. "I think everyone knows," she says, "Everyone except for the resident idiot, of course."

Sasuke's stomach sinks into the ground. "Everyone?"

"Everyone."

"But... I... uh..."

"Which is why you need to confess what you feel before he leaves, Sasuke." Sakura places the palm of her hand on his shoulder in what is supposed to be a comforting move but only manages to make him feel smaller. "If you don't tell Naruto how you feel, you won't get a chance to do it for years! What if he finds someone else while he's out?"

At the question, Sasuke imagines Naruto returning to Konohagakure with a tall beautiful woman at his side. His heart aches at the thought, and he shakes his head to try to get the mental image out of his head. It doesn't work.

"But..." Sasuke swallows. "What if I say how I feel, and Naruto doesn't feel the same way?"

Sasuke looks away as he voices a fear he has hidden since he realized his feelings for Naruto went beyond friendship. He chances a look at Sakura, and her eyes soften.

"I don't know, Sasuke," she admits. "It's possible he doesn't feel the same way... But, he's leaving, if he does reject you- and that's a very, very low possibility- you'll both have some time apart to process. This is literally the best and only time for you to confess, Sasuke. Wouldn't it be better to confess and get rejected over pining for years and not know how he really feels?"

_No, that sounds terrible_. He doesn't want to get rejected, but he wants to lose Naruto's friendship even less. He would rather be Naruto's friend forever than possibly ruin the relationship they already have.

"But," Sakura says. "You should never sell yourself short. Naruto talks about you more than anyone else. He's always bringing you up when you're not there."

"Really?" Sasuke asks and can't help but get his hopes up.

"Yeah," Sakura crosses her arms and nods. "Now, go and confess your love! All you have to do is say 'I like you, Naruto.' You have less than twenty hours!"

Slightly emboldened, Sasuke runs out of the alley in search of Naruto. He must confess his feelings before the morning comes.

Instinct tells him that Naruto has gone to see Hinata first, and he runs towards the Hyuuga clan compound. Sure enough, he spots Naruto's trademark orange jacket by the koi pond, and he walks towards it. As he nears the notices that Hinata sits next to Naruto, talking together. As they talk, they throw pellets into the water and watch the koi fight one another for food.

Sasuke's heart beats painfully in anticipation, but he walks towards them, hands shoved into his pockets to prevent them from trembling.

"Hey," he says as he nears Naruto and Hinata.

"Sasuke!" Naruto turns around to look up at him and beams. The afternoon sun shines through Naruto's golden hair and his smile is as bright as a thousand suns. Sasuke's heart threatens to leap out of his chest at the sight. "What happened? Is everything okay?"

"Nothing," Sasuke lies. "I just wanted to tell you something before you left tomorrow."

Naruto furrows his brow in confusion. "Sure, what is it?"

Sasuke looks at Hinata and tries not to blush. He would rather tell Naruto how he feels without any company.

"I'd rather tell you alone, loser," he says. "Talk with Hinata if you want. I can wait for you until you're ready to go."

"Ah, that's okay, Sasuke-kun," Hinata says. "I have to go anyway, I've already finished feeding the koi, anyway."

_Liar, your basket is nearly full_.

Hinata, however, doesn't let herself be caught in a lie because she immediately stands up and dumps what remains of the pellets into the pond. The fish go crazy at the sight of food and water splashes everywhere.

"I have to go," she says. "I'll leave you two alone. Say whatever you need to say, Sasuke-kun."

Hinata starts walking away but not before winking at Sasuke and giving him a small encouraging smile. Sasuke's stomach flips, and he remembers Sakura's words. _Everyone knows._

Sasuke clears his throat and turns his gaze back on Naruto, trying to look serious. However, the sun manages to make Naruto look more breathtaking than usual. Sasuke immediately turns his head so that Naruto won't notice his blush.

"It's just..." Sasuke begins as he keeps his gaze fixated away from Naruto to look at the far-off buildings of the Hyuuga compound.

"What?"

"I just want to say that..." Sasuke tries to gather his courage, but he finds the task impossible, words stuck in his throat.

"Naruto, the truth is that I really, really-"

"Really, really?"

Sasuke swallows nervously. "I really, really like-"

"Naruto-san, Sasuke-san," a voice interrupts. "What are you doing here?"

Sasuke flinches at the interruption and glares up to see Neji.

"Nothin' much," Naruto answers immediately. "Just talking. Sasuke was gonna say something, ya know."

Sasuke's heart sinks. If he can't confess his feelings in front of Hinata, a person he actually likes, he definitely can't do it in front of Neji.

"Oh?" Neji asks and lifts up a curious eyebrow.

"I was going to say that I really, really would like to have one last sparring session with Naruto," Sasuke lies. "But he wants to say goodbye to everyone first."

Neji narrows his eyes and Sasuke tries not to let the panic show on his face. _He can tell I'm lying. _

"Oh, is that all, Sasuke?" Naruto says as he stands up. "Well, I can say goodbye to Neji now! Isn't that right, Neji?"

Neji smiles and extends the palm of his hand to shake. Naruto shakes Neji's hand enthusiastically with a smile.

"Oh, Neji, where are Bushy-brows and Tenten?" Naruto asks. "I haven't said goodbye to them yet either, ya know."

"They should be in Training Grounds 14," Neji answers. "Gai-sensei assigned them some sort of agility training."

"Thank you!" Naruto says as he roughly pulls on Sasuke's shirt to lift him up from the ground. "We'll go look for them. Goodbye!"

With those parting words, Naruto takes Sasuke's hand and pulls him away from the Hyuuga compound and to the training area. Sasuke's stomach flips at the casual contact, and he turns around to look at Neji one last time. The older boy smirks at him, confirming his worst fears. _Everyone knows._

They arrive at the training area quickly and find Rock Lee and Tenten trying to do some sort of flexibility exercise. Naruto gives his parting words and immediately pulls Sasuke away to look for the other members of the rookie teams.

Sasuke follows along reluctantly. He doesn't really care about meeting up with the other members of the Rookie 12, but he will try to enjoy his last day with Naruto as much as possible.

Unfortunately, after Sakura's words, he has started to notice the looks that the others give him. Some of them, like Chouji and Ino, wink at him while others, like Kiba, clap on his back in encouragement. Yet others, like Shikamaru and Shino, silently judge his excuses for spending more time with Naruto. He almost wishes he hadn't allowed Sakura to drag him into the alley.

When they finally finish saying goodbye to all of the members of the rookie teams, the sun is already starting to set and Sasuke's stomach keeps turning over itself as the deadline looms ever closer.

"Oh, yeah, you wanted to spar, right Sasuke?" Naruto asks cheerfully as they leave the Yamanaka flower shop.

Sasuke had forgotten about the previous request, but he covers it up with another lie. "Sure, but don't cry when you lose."

Naruto fumes. "As if!"

A weight lifts from Sasuke's shoulders as they reach familiar territory. Confessing his feelings to Naruto is hard, but sparring with him is practically a daily occurrence. Together, they run towards their familiar training arena.

Predictably, Sasuke wins the fight, although he struggles a lot more than he usually does, and he wins mostly through a lucky kick on Naruto's side. _Naruto is so much stronger now. What will it be like when he returns? _

The question terrifies him. He doesn't want to fall behind. He vows to train as much as he can while Naruto is gone.

"Best two out of three!" Naruto demands as he points an angry finger at Sasuke.

Sasuke snorts. He is panting heavily, and he knows the second fight won't work out in his favor. Naruto is made out of pure stamina. Instead of taking Naruto up on his offer, he extends a hand to help Naruto stand up instead.

"In a stamina competition, you win," Sasuke admits as he pulls him up. "You would win the next fight. Besides, I'm hungry. We should get dinner. My treat."

Naruto's eyes light up and Sasuke's heart skips a beat at the sight. He wonders if Naruto will always get excited by being treated to food. _Hopefully not._

"Sure, let's go to-"

"We're not going to Ichiraku's," Sasuke interrupts. "We were there for lunch. Let's go somewhere else."

Naruto pouts but does as Sasuke says. Sasuke walks away and Naruto follows at his side. Naruto talks excitedly as they walk towards the barbecue restaurant. They have been there with Team 10 a few times, but he has never gone there alone with Naruto. _It almost feels like a date._ Sasuke's stomach flips over itself at the thought.

Sasuke listens vaguely to Naruto's words, but most of what he's saying is inane. Nevertheless, his voice is comforting and Sasuke won't have a chance to listen to it again for a long time starting tomorrow. He will take what he can get for now.

When they reach the restaurant, they sit down at one of the booths in the corner. A waiter takes their order and within minutes they have been served.

Naruto dumps the meat all at once on the grill.

"Hey, loser!" Sasuke scolds Naruto. "You're supposed to take it slowly. It's gonna cook unevenly if you dump the meat in all at once!"

Naruto scratches his chin and grins. "Aw, but Sasuke, it's not fun like that, ya know."

His smile is mesmerizing and Sasuke pauses to catch his breath. He feels his face heat up and he looks away. "Hn."

They eat slowly, talking about whatever comes to mind, although Naruto, as always, dominates the conversation. When they finish eating, Sasuke asks for the check. He looks at Naruto sitting across from him. The other boy is grinning and patting his full stomach with his eyes closed. It's surprisingly cute.

Sasuke swallows. _It's now or never_.

"Naruto," he begins. Naruto opens his eyes to look at him.

"Yeah?" Naruto leans forward and places his chin on his hand. He looks curiously at Sasuke. Sasuke hides his hands under the table and clenches them into fists.

He takes a deep breath in and swallows before speaking. "Before you leave tomorrow, there's something I need to tell you," he says.

"Yeah, what is it?"

"For a while, I've been thinking that you... that I..." Sasuke looks down at the table. "I really, really want you to know that I like-"

"Hey, Sasuke-kun, Naruto-kun!"

Asuma approaches them, interrupting Sasuke at the most crucial moment. Both Naruto and Sasuke turn to look at the man. He is with Kurenai, leading her by the arm.

"Asuma-sensei! Kurenai-sensei!" Naruto greets them happily but Sasuke only wants to tell them to go away. He had finally gathered his courage, but he only keeps getting interrupted.

"Hey, Naruto-kun, you're leaving with Jiraiya-sama tomorrow, right?" Asuma asks as he approaches their table.

"Yup!" Naruto nods enthusiastically and beams at the man. "I'm gonna get super strong, ya know!"

"I'm sure you will," Asuma answers placatingly.

"Asuma," Kurenai interrupts while looking at Sasuke with a small smile. "I think the boys were having a conversation. We should let them finish."

"Argh! Sorry, boys, I'll leave you to it!" Asuma replies. "Stay safe, Naruto-kun. Enjoy your last date with Sasuke!"

Sasuke's stomach turns over itself at the man's comment and he feels his face heat up. Naruto, however, either doesn't understand or doesn't care about what the man said, because he only smiles again.

"Goodbye Asuma-sensei! Kurenai-sensei!" Naruto replies with a beam that seems to rival the sun. Sasuke's heart skips a beat at the sight, and he wonders if he will die of a heart attack soon. It seems possible.

Asuma and Kurenai smile at them one last time before they leave, but not before turning towards Sasuke and giving him encouraging smiles. Sasuke gulps. _They also know. Sakura was right._

"Oh, yeah, Sasuke, what were you gonna say?" Naruto asks.

"Ah well, I-" Sasuke is saved from answering by the waiter arriving with their bill. Sasuke takes the new interruption like a lifeline, and he reaches for his wallet.

"Nothing important, loser, don't worry about it," Sasuke deflects as he leaves money on the table. "Let's go."

"Sure!" Naruto stands up cheerfully and stretches, patting his stomach appreciatively. "Man, I'm stuffed again! If I keep eating like this, I'm going to get fat."

"That's because you ate my portion too," Sasuke complains.

"Hey! You should have said something if you didn't want your food stolen, ya know!" Naruto replies cheekily.

"Whatever, loser." Despite the stress of the day, Sasuke can't help but smile.

They walk side by side as they take the familiar path to Naruto's home. Naruto complains about his stomach being full but Sasuke only scolds him for eating so much. From there, they argue about who ate what and with a pang, Sasuke realizes that he will miss their inane arguments.

They arrive at the door of Naruto's apartment faster than Sasuke had expected. Naruto unlocks the front door.

"See you tomorrow, Sasuke!" Naruto waves goodbye and enters his apartment cheerfully.

"Wait!" Sasuke shouts in panic before he has a chance to stop himself.

Naruto pauses at the door and he turns to look at him curiously. "What?"

Sasuke swallows. _It's now or never._ He takes in a deep breath and forces himself to look at Naruto in the eyes. He has faced missing-nin, his brother, and Orochimaru, he can face Naruto.

"I just wanted to tell you that..." Sasuke begins, and he has to swallow again when Naruto raises an eyebrow in confusion. "That... that..."

"That?" Naruto tilts his head to the side curiously and the simple action is enough to take Sasuke's breath away.

Sasuke's courage leaves him. "That I'll see you tomorrow at 8:30 at the gates."

"Uh, yeah, sure," Naruto looks taken aback.

"Goodbye, loser," Sasuke says as he turns around to leave.

"Goodbye, jerk," Naruto replies, although his voice sounds fond. Sasuke smiles to himself. He really will miss Naruto.

He returns quickly to his apartment where he collapses on the bed immediately. He curses himself and his cowardice. _How can it be so difficult to say 'I like you' to that idiot?_

Sasuke rolls around the bed, too tired to even change into his pajamas. He places an arm over his head and sighs. He still has around ten hours to bare his heart to Naruto. He will tell Naruto how he feels if it's the last thing he does.

**O-O-O-O-O**

Sasuke sleeps fitfully that night. He has a dream of Naruto holding his hand as they walk around a lake. In another, they are at a festival together, trying to catch goldfish and watching fireworks. In a different one, a taller Naruto returns to Konoha, a beautiful girl wrapped in his arms.

He wakes at the last image, and he has to look around his bedroom to remind himself that Naruto has yet to leave. He still has a chance.

He checks the clock on his bedside table. It's only 6:30 in the morning. He has two hours to make his confession. Sasuke will tell Naruto his feelings even if it kills him.

With new determination, Sasuke takes a long shower. After he dries and dresses in clean clothes, he tries to style his hair differently. However, everything he does makes him feel like he is trying too hard. Ultimately, he gives up and styles his hair normally.

He spends so much more time than expected styling his hair, that by the time he leaves the bathroom, it's already after eight o'clock. He still hasn't had breakfast but his stomach feels too sensitive for food anyway. Panicked, he sprints towards the main gate. It will take him a while to reach it, even at a run, and part of him worries that he won't have a chance to say goodbye.

Thankfully, he arrives just in time and sees Naruto standing next to Jiraiya. Sakura and Kakashi are already there, listening patiently to something that Naruto is saying.

"Sasuke!" Naruto yells while pointing at him. "You're late! Even Kakashi-sensei was here on time."

"Hn," Sasuke replies, and he forces his hands into his pockets so that they can't betray his nerves. "I'm here, aren't I?"

Naruto rolls his eyes but smiles and Sasuke joins their group. Sasuke listens patiently and tries to find a chance to interrupt and confess. However, Naruto keeps talking, oblivious to Sasuke's discomfort.

"Naruto," Jiraiya interrupts. "It's time."

"Yeah, yeah, Ero-sennin," Naruto replies with a pout. "Just final goodbyes, ya know."

Sasuke swallows and opens his mouth to speak but no sound comes out. He tries to focus on Naruto, but he can feel Kakashi, Sakura, and Jiraiya looking at him and judging him silently.

"Naruto, I-" Sasuke starts to say but before he can finish the sentence, he looks down, unable to meet Naruto's eyes any longer.

"Spit it out, jerk!" Naruto yells. "You've been trying to tell me something since yesterday and this is your last chance!"

"Shut up!" Sasuke blushes. "I wanted to tell you that... that..."

"That what?"

Sasuke swallows. He can feel the other shinobi looking at him expectantly, waiting for Sasuke to finish the sentence. However, with the pressure in front of him, his courage leaves completely and his tongue feels like it weighs a thousand pounds.

"What?!" Naruto demands again.

"That when you get back, I'm going to be stronger than you, so prepare yourself!" Sasuke finally yells

From around him, he sees the other three shinobi shaking their heads. Jiraiya hums and crosses his arms, Kakashi groans, and Sakura sighs. They look disappointed at his inability to say anything.

Naruto, however, looks clueless, and he only smiles instead.

"You wish, jerk!" Naruto beams at him and Sasuke's heart skips a beat. "You can never beat me, ya know! Goodbye!"

Naruto hugs Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi one last time before turning around to walk away with Jiraiya. Naruto gives them one last wave before he disappears among the trees.

"Oh, Sasuke-" Sakura begins.

"Shut up," Sasuke growls, his face red. Avoiding Kakashi and Sakura, he runs back to his apartment.

**O-O-O-O-O**

**A/N: I hope you liked the ending! :D**

**I wanted to write some Naruto/Sasuke since I won't be able to write about their relationship in "Through Your Door" for a few chapters yet. It was fun because I love Sasuke and his relationship with Naruto.**

**Thanks so much to written_seoks on Ao3 for helping me look through the first draft. You're awesome!**


End file.
